Many young children have an intense interest in dinosaurs. Maybe it starts when they’re toddlers and biting is a salient issue of self-control. For lots of children, it evolves into an intense interest that leads to learning to identify many different types and their scientific names. A 2008 study found that sustained intense interests, particularly in a conceptual domain like dinosaurs, can help children develop increased knowledge and persistence, a better attention span, and deeper information-processing skills. So if your little one has a topic they are obsessed with, go with it!

Kathleen Moore is the Early Literacy Specialist at the Dayton Metro Library. She provides training and assistance to teachers and parents on ways to support children from birth to kindergarten to be successful readers in school. “Becoming a skilled reader requires growth along a developmental continuum that starts at birth with exposure to rich language interactions and experiences,” Moore stated. “The more caregivers know about this development, the better they can support our youngest learners.”

Kathleen has a Master of Science in Early Childhood Education from Wheelock College. Then, after 25 years of teaching, she went to Kent State University to get her library science degree. She began her work at Dayton Metro Library in 2006.

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